Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1887-07-09
Last Days Session Of the
American Institute of
Instruction.
TINE BLACK NILS TRADE.
Santa Barbara About to Be-
come q Great Sum-
mer Resort.
Cr0okedneas IN Custom Service-Gossip
Ahoat the Jersey Llly-Rates the
same a. BefoEe-TAklng TrAile
frOm the saez Canal-Psllee-
man Suspended.



SENSATION CAUSED sX rHR DISCOVERY on
a UNT1KD STATES TRKAsURx KM-
PLoxK's sTKALEsas.
WAszxNGroM, July S.-SomeGhlne Of a
sensation was created In the Treasury
Department. this afternoon by the dis
coTeTy that trusted Official in that De-
pArtment had been guilty Of q systemAt-
10 attempt 10 defFaud the Government.
The officer vas arrested at WilkesbaRre
yesterday afternoon as be vas about 10
take q train for Washington, and his
diamissai from service IVES ordered BY
Secretary FaiFohild this afternoon. His
name 10 Oscar j. Harvey, and be has
been employed In the Department. since
June. 1886, when he vas appointed
Chief Of the Morse claims division Of
the Third Auditors Office. II vas while
be held this position that the defrauds
with which be 10 nov charged occurred.
In June last be was transferred 10
the stamp or the mail room in the
Third Auditors office and the stamp OF
the Morse claims division had been
forged and dates arranged 80 as 10
bring them within the Limitation fixed
for filing these claims. The stamp Of
the QuarteRmaster Generals Office was
also forged. The drafts we're regularly
issued and IN examination Of such as
have been returned as paid shows that |
Harvey and Wynn are one and the same /
person and that although drafts were |
drawn In favor of claimants the money.
with one or two exceptions, went di- |
rectly 20 Harvey or some relatives. He |
had secured their payment by forging
the signature Of the payee snd then en-
doEsinQ the draft With bis own name.
The MontfoFt, Philadelphia, Notary
Public, like Winn the attorney, vas
found 10 be q myth. Most Of the No
lariea and persons named In the claims
are unknown to the Department. In
addition TO 43 cases passed there havs
been LEO similar cases adjusted. aR0re
eating $50, 1000, and there are still pend
Ing and 6iusted 6S cases, amounting
TO &136, 900, making total Of 16l fraud
ulent cases, which might have eventu-
ally been raid bat for this discovery.
Harvey was brought 60 the city by ofd
sers Of the secret service, who have kept
him under surveillance since he was
frat suspected. he asked to see the
The Secretary. and when he was inform
ID Of the evidence against him he broke
DOWN completely and made full con-
Iession Of bis guilt.
The division be had In the Second
offioe was the division
which has charge Of claims OF the same
nature as those In the division which he
had iust left. Aastin IL. Brown, Of In
dianapoliE, succeeded Harvey as chief
1f the horse claims, and soon after he
Iook charge Of the Office be discovered
he frauds Of which bis predecessor had
s~6A 4
ace Of IS fraudulent claims for horses
e92, 900 and the preparation
II many additional cases Of q similar
nature which were under consideration
% the Office.
In most Of the eases the claims are
Tor horses lost during the war and were
presented in the names Of the 0fticsEs
1f the Pennsylvania and New Jersey
regiments. All Of the cases appeared 20
have been prosecuted by W. w. Wynn,
first Of Philadelphia and thea Of Wash
Ington, and the services OF j. O. Man
ford, q notary public Of Philadelphia,
we're calie1 into requisition In connec-
lion with the necessary on work In
VOWED In the stealing of numerous in
papers from the files OF She
IN claims IL was found that sigma
lures involving the namea Of thirty
eight officers were forgeries. Subse-
auently 10 was found that the Second
4 Auditor's naHse bad been forged in GER
Iificates received from thAt Office, and
also that none OF the Pennsylvania aId |
New Jersey cases, In which Wynn vas
Ihe attorney, were entered on the rec
oFds of that office. Claims which have
been allowed we're then overhauled. |
and in almost every case IL was found /
that the Second Auditors certificates |
show that the certificates had been alb
stracted together with other papers.